Sophie Miles

HUMN 2050: Understanding Urban Culture and Community Asse

THIS IS DUE ON WEDNESDAY 9/8/21 BY 10PM

Photo Credit: Getty Images/Cavan Images RF

Week 2: The Shifting Makeup of the Urban Population

Urban areas account for 55% of the world’s population, a number that is projected to increase to 68% by 2050 (United Nations, 2018). In the United States alone, approximately 80% live in urban areas (U.S. Census Bureau, 2016). So how and when did people come to occupy urban areas, why do they stay, and what keeps others coming?

Cities represent financial opportunities and the promise of economic prosperity, with higher-paying jobs in a larger variety of fields. Migrants from rural areas have historically come to cities in search of these opportunities for a better life. Immigrants, too, have arrived in foreign cities escaping droughts, famines, and wars in their own countries and seeking the available resources of urban living.

This week, you explore migration as you track the reasons for demographic shifts in urban areas over time. You also reflect on your family’s migration story and how you came to live where you do now.

References: United Nations. (2018, May 16). 68% of the world population projected to live in urban areas by 2050, says UN. https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/population/2018-revision-of-world-urbanization-prospects.html United States Census Bureau. (2016, December 8). Measuring America: Our changing landscape. https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/2016/comm/acs-rural-urban.html

Learning Objectives

Students will:

· Explain the reasons for major demographic shifts in cities

· Describe personal family origins and migration

· Identify patterns of social mobility in past generations

· Describe the process of and insights from researching a family story 

Learning Resources

Migration

Gray, A. (2017, October 25). These charts show how migration is changing our cities. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/10/how-migration-is-changing-world-cities-charts/

Hunter, T. W. (2017, March 9). Slaves weren’t immigrants. They were property. Delaware Online. https://www.delawareonline.com/story/opinion/2017/03/09/slaves-werent-immigrants-they-were-property/98957082

Ingraham, C. (2018, December 18). Americans say there’s not much appeal to big-city living. Why do so many of us live there? The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/12/18/americans-say-theres-not-much-appeal-big-city-living-why-do-so-many-us-live-there/

McPhillips, D. (2020, January 22). A new analysis finds growing diversity in U.S. cities. U.S. News & World Report. https://www.usnews.com/news/cities/articles/2020-01-22/americas-cities-are-becoming-more-diverse-new-analysis-shows

Whelan, N. (2020, June 16). 8 reasons why people immigrate to the United States. WorldAtlas. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/8-reasons-why-people-immigrate-to-the-united-states.html

Wilkerson, I. (2017, November). The Great Migration and the power of a single decision [Video]. TEDWomen 2017. https://www.ted.com/talks/isabel_wilkerson_the_great_migration_and_the_power_of_a_single_decision?language=en

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 15 minutes.

Social Mobility

Auerbach, M. P. (2019). Social mobility in the U.S. In Salem Press encyclopedia. Salem Press.

Discussion: Shifting Demographics

Urban communities in the United States are more racially and ethnically diverse than ever before. In addition to financial drivers, large-scale historical phenomena such as the Great Migration and “White Flight” have contributed to the changing demographics of urban areas in the United States. The newer pattern of older White baby boomers retiring and leaving cities also influences the makeup of these areas. What else might have an effect?

For this Discussion, you review the Learning Resources and determine the three key reasons for this increase in diversity. 

To Prepare

· Review your course announcements for possible information related to this week’s Discussion and Assignment.

· Review the Learning Resources on migration and shifting demographics. 

By Day 4

Prioritize the three key reasons or drivers you feel are most responsible for the major demographic shifts being experienced in cities today. Provide rationale for your response by explaining, integrating, and documenting relevant ideas and concepts found in the Learning Resources. 

THIS IS DUE SATURDAY 9/11/21 BY NOON

EVERYTHING NEEDED IS ATTACHED AS FAMILY HISTORY

Assignment: Origins, Mobility, and Migration

Scientists often use time lapse video or photography to show changes in the Earth’s geography over time, such as the melting ice caps and receding coastline. But imagine you could use time lapse to see your family’s movements across centuries. What would that sped-up story of your family look like across the globe?

Family origin and migration stories—and genealogy in general—have increased in popularity due to send-away DNA kits that can pinpoint one’s ancestral origins and migrations. And in so doing reveal more of who a person is and how they came to be where they are today. This Assignment is designed to do something similar—to allow you to trace your family’s movements over several generations. You also consider any shifts in social mobility in your family and to what extent the migration and mobility impacted you.

To Prepare

· Research your family story, including where you live, your social status, and how and why those may or may not have changed over time. If you would like to instead describe someone else’s story, interview a family member or friend.

By Day 7

Write a 2- to 3-page paper describing the family story, including origins, physical migration, and social mobility. Specifically:

· Describe your family’s ancestral origins.

· Identify any physical migration that occurred in your family history and explain why. If your family did not migrate from one country or area of a country to another, explain why not.

· Describe the extent to which the family has experienced significant upward or downward social mobility over the past three or four generations. How do you think your values and behavior might differ had you experienced the opposite pattern of mobility? How might it have been different had your family been of a different ethnic or racial origin?

· Describe the insights you gained from this experience of researching and reporting on your family story. Be specific.

Make sure to integrate and document ideas and concepts from the Learning Resources to help frame and contextualize your personal family story.